The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key
by disciple.ak
Summary: With Ganon finally killed once and for all, Demise reincarnated into a brand new body and host. When he came to attack the kingdom of Hyrule, the hero once again stands in his way, but this time something is different. This time, she's a girl! Read the story of Linkle, the first female hero as she joins a Hylian thief and a strange fairy on their quest to bring peace to the land!
1. Chapter 1

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series. I'll try to make a new chapter once a week, but no promises. I will try my best though.

Prologue:

Have you heard of the legends and stories of the kingdom of Hyrule? They were considered great tales of courage and valor! It all began with the dark being, Demise, wanting to conquer and rule over the humans. He would have succeeded, but Lady Hylia and a great hero stepped forward and vanquished the fiend. Before the final blow was struck, however, Demise cursed the land that he would return as a reincarnation of his evil and lust for power. This cycle would never end until he was victorious. Thankfully the Goddess' also blessed the land that Lady Hylia and the great hero would be reincarnated as well to fight and defeat this evil whenever the land was in danger.

And thus the cycle began. Eventually one reincarnation of Demise known as Ganon would plague the land over and over again, seeking to claim it as his own. This monster was defeated by the hero every time he had risen, but Ganon was not someone you could simply kill. His soul was sealed away by the power of evil's bane, and the triforce, as many times as he challenged the great hero. The hero had sealed his soul, split his soul and spread it across time and distance, and even had tried to insert his soul into insignificant animals. Every time he rose again to fight for his evil desire.

The last hero finally found a way to vanquish and destroy Ganon's soul, finally putting an end to the great enemy of Hyrule. This hero who was called "Link" warned us that the spirit of Demise would return through a new host, and enemy. All of us simply held to the hope that another hero would rise when Demise's soul did.

My father met this hero named Link when he was only 4 years old, but my father never had forgotten his experience. Link was old in age at that point, and it was said he would soon pass on, but he told my father to train and become a protector of the people. My father did so, and trained tirelessly to become a great warrior and champion.

He idolized Link, and thought of him as his ultimate role model. My father vowed to name his firstborn child after Link in his honor, but seeing as I was a girl, he named me Linkle, something a little more feminine.

My father trained and eventually was recognized and became the captain of the guard. He trained me as well, but seeing as I was a woman, the law said that I couldn't officially become part of the Hyrule corps without specific royal decree from the crown.

So I trained, and became quite exceptional with a sword and shield, and I even got to help train the new recruits. Even though I wasn't officially one of them, all of the soldiers considered me part of the corps. I was always happy to be where I was, but one day, everything in my life changed.

Chapter 1: The Hylian Thief

Linkle was standing there with beads of sweat across her forehead. The soldier she was dueling was incredibly skilled amongst the corps. He smirked and raised his sword for an incoming attack. Linkle tried to duck out of the way and rolled to the side. She lifted up her shield in front of her face just in the nick of time to block the soldier's practice weapon.

She leapt up with an upward strike of her sword, but the man was too fast. He parried and rushed in for what appeared to be the final blow. As he did so, Linkle used her signature spin attack that her father had taught her. She swept the soldiers legs from under his body and on the twist back, she hit the side of his armor with her sparring blade.

The soldier hit the ground with a thud, and Linkle pointed the tip of her weapon towards his face. A roar of excitement came from the other watching soldiers. Linkle lowered her weapon and held out her hand to the soldier she had just beaten. He gladly took it and rose to his feet.

"I was so close it seemed," began the soldier, "I should've stood firmer."

Linkle corrected him.

"You should have used your longer reach to your advantage. Remember, I'm short in comparison to you, therefore I have to get closer. Keep your distance next time and you'll increase your chances of victory."

The soldier nodded. The others watching were congratulating him on his attempt. Linkle had to laugh. It had been made a rumor amongst the guards that if you could best her in a duel, the captain would promote you for your exceptional skill. This rumor could never be confirmed, because the only one that had ever beaten Linkle was her own father.

She sheathed her sparring weapon and walked over to the captain who stood proud looking at her.

"My girl, you still have zero losses against my men. Good job, if you keep this up, I may have to send another petition to the royal family for your status as a guard."

Linkle smiled.

"Daddy, I know you want me to be a part of the corps, but the royal family has other matters to attend to. There are plenty of other things that are important to take care of."

Her father shook his head.

"There's nothing more important to me than my daughter, so nothing else compares in my book. I am the captain of the guard after all. I'm sure one of these days you'll be accepted into our ranks."

Linkle just shrugged. She was fairly happy where she was at the moment. She still got to fight and practice with members of the corps, and she was proud to be considered one of Hyrule's most skilled warriors.

Suddenly all of the troops including her father bowed. Linkle looked up and saw the reason. She bowed as well. Princess Zelda was walking along with her sheikah bodyguard. Zelda was born close to the time that Linkle was, and she was named Zelda as tradition dictated for the firstborn female of each royal generation. They had been close friends growing up together, but since she became eighteen a year ago, Linkle hardly ever saw her anymore. The Sheikah next to her was Shana, the granddaughter of the renowned warrior sheikah Impa. Impa swore that all of her future generations would protect the royal family.

Shana was Zelda's bodyguard, but she was only about four years older than Zelda and Linkle. She took her responsibility very seriously though, if you dared approach the princess without reason, you risked getting your head cut off by her huge sword. Linkle had never had an opportunity to spar with Shana, but she felt like shana might just be another one who could best her. After all, she had been trained her whole life to protect the future princess.

Zelda smiled a friendly smile to Linkle as they walked by the castle wall. Linkle was glad that even though they hadn't seen much of each other, she still remembered their past friendship. After they were out of site everyone stood up again.

Linkle walked over to a bench and sat down wiping the sweat from off of her forehead. She looked up at the sky, it was about midday. She sat there pondering whether or not she was in fact satisfied with her current position. She admittedly did want to join the corps officially, but even deeper down, she just wanted to continue to make her father proud.

Her father always sought to be a hero among men, hoping to defend those he cared about from evil. He still held to the tales his father would tell him of the great hero Link, and consequently he would tell those same stories to Linkle growing up. She wanted to have a chance someday to test her courage, but for now she decided to be content with her current situation. It wasn't like there was much she could do to change anything at the moment.

Linkle got up and decided to head for the bath house. Although she was a warrior, she was still a girl, and wanted to get cleaned up. She hated the feeling of being sweaty, but it was something she learned to put up with over the years. She still loved the feeling of being clean, and hated the feeling of filth, but she didn't complain vocally about it anymore.

When she turned her back she heard a commotion among the men. She walked over to see what the cause of it was. She could hear the soldiers communicating, but she thought the best way was to ask her dad about it.

As she walked up to him he was speaking with a couple of soldiers in a serious tone. Linkle noted how he was speaking to the fastest and most agile of his troops.

"What's going on?" She asked.

Her father looked at her and nodded to the soldiers as they left.

"A thief in the marketplace, it's nothing too big to handle. I've chosen my best soldiers for the job."

After he had relayed the information to her, he took off as well. Linkle ran up the steps of the wall to look towards where the ruckus was. She saw a man in light travel clothes with a scarf concealing the lower half of his face being chased by a number of soldiers.

He was jumping across some of the stalls and reached a rooftop. He had something in his hand, and after a moment, Linkle recognized what it was. It was the pendant of courage, something entrusted to the royal family! How did he get his hands on that?!

Linkle looked and noticed that the guards were having trouble keeping up with the thief. She was annoyed at how agile he was, occasionally stopping to mock his pursuers. Linkle had enough and leapt from the wall and onto the canopy of one of the market stalls.

She slid across the canvas, and landed on the stone street.

"They'll never catch him like this." She thought to herself.

Linkle looked around and could tell the general direction he was heading. She took the alleyway down to the south and knew she could probably cut him off if she ran. She could hear his footsteps coming closer to her direction from the shingles he was stepping on.

She kept up the pace, and eventually she made it to a door. She opened it to find a smaller alleyway. Not moments after she entered she heard the footsteps slow down and stop right above her. The thief jumped down into the alleyway she had just entered.

He looked quite surprised to see her, and she was fairly surprised of him as well. She honestly didn't think that plan of action would turn out so well. The only down side was that she left her real sword at the barracks, and only had a practice weapon with her.

She took a good look at him. He was Hylian it looked like, and he wore all dark clothing. He had black hair, and his eyes were yellow. Linkle also noted the long black sword that was strapped to his back. He appeared to be a swordsman of some sort. He chuckled, but the sound was slightly muffled from the scarf.

"Well, now sweetheart, it seems you've caught me."

Linkle held out her hand.

"Give me back what you stole, and I'll accept your surrender."

The thief laughed.

"I have no intention of surrendering sweetheart. Do you know what this is?"

The thief held out the green pendant. Linkle simply nodded.

"It's the pendant of courage, entrusted to the royal family's care. You do realize that you'll have an army pursuing you if you try to hold onto that, right?"

The thief simply laughed again.

"Exactly, they are willing to go through whatever it takes to get this thing back, all because of some sort of lame legend of theirs. I plan to ransom it back to them for wealth beyond measure."

Linkle was feeling the anger build up inside of her.

"It's not a lame legend, Link was a true hero! And how can you be such a brute?! That's a symbol of hope for all of Hyrule, that when evil invades the hero will return!"

The thief started to twirl the pendant in his hand.

"Whatever the case, it will still make me rich. Later sweetheart, I've got a pay day to collect."

He turned to get away, but Linkle jumped in front of him blocking the way. She pulled out her wooden sword and pointed it at his face.

"Why don't you pull out that sword of yours and we'll see who gets that pendant today?"

The thief pulled out a dagger from his sash.

"I'm a thief, not a murderer. If I use this sword, you won't live to tell the tale. Now if I use my knife, I can knock you out with the hilt. I'd rather not fight a damsel though."

Linkle was even more angered from that last statement. She was slightly glad that he saw her as a girl though, some of the guards didn't for some reason, but that may have been a good thing.

She charged forward with her sword and tried to land a strike on his head. The thief easily dodged the attack by moving slightly to the side. He rushed behind her with the butt of his hilt ready to smash her forehead. She twirled around and performed her spin attack which knocked him back, but his reflexes prevented him from being knocked to the ground.

He stood with his weapon ready.

"Not bad for a woman, let's see how you handle this one!"

He charged forward, and Linkle had her shield ready to block the attack. At the last second he leapt into the air and landed behind her. He made a slash at her, and she barely had time to block. She rammed him with her shield and pinned him to the wall. She knew if she was going to defeat him, she had to find his weak point.

She went into another spin attack which knocked him off balance again. She immediately followed up with a forward thrust and hit him in the chest. He coughed and dropped the pendant on the floor. He held his chest where he had been hit while trying to utter something.

"I was bested by a woman. I guess there's a first time for everything. Fine, you win for now, but I'll be back another day, trust me."

The thief jumped back onto the rooftops and got away. Linkle was more concerned with getting the pendant back to the royal family. As she walked back through the door, she was met there by her father. He was panting while trying to catch his breath.

"He got away, I can't believe this. He stole something very valuable to the kingdom."

Linkle smiling held up the pendant.

"You mean this?"

Her father snatched it from her and stared at it. With tears in his eyes he embraced his daughter.

"How did you get it back?" He asked.

Linkle explained everything that happened. When she finished her father was still hugging her.

"I see," he began as he finally let go of her, "you truly are a hero of Hyrule today Linkle. Perhaps the royal family will approve your entrance into the corps now? And you did this all with only a practice weapon, I'm so proud of you!"

He hugged her again. They both walked back to the castle together. Her father held the pendant in his hands smiling.

"I'm going to return this to its rightful owners." He declared.

Linkle simply smiled at her father again.

"And I'm going to take a bath. I probably smell awful right now."


	2. Chapter 2

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series.

Chapter 2: The Secret Passage

Linkle woke up to see the sun shining through her window. She stretched her limbs while yawning, trying to wake up. She shook her head a few times, flipped back the covers, and walked over to her wardrobe to find her uniform.

Although she wasn't officially a part of the guard corps, her father gave her a uniform similar to what they wore. The only difference was that hers lacked the Hylian symbol which all guards wore. After she had gotten dressed she walked over to the mirror. She picked up a brush that was sitting on the table next to it and started to brush her long red hair.

Her hair was always a mess when she woke up, she was glad that no one saw her before she had time to tidy it up. After she had finished brushing it, she grabbed a small string to tie it with later if she needed. She would tie it into a ponytail if she had to spar with a guard or two who wanted to try their luck against her, but otherwise she kept it free and long. She didn't like the restrictive feeling of tying her hair up, but it was better than it getting in the way during combat.

She looked at herself in the mirror one more time. Satisfied, she left her room and headed for the barracks for her chore list from her father. She tried to do all that she could to help the castle, even if it was to run errands.

As she walked along, she saw a couple of kids run by. One of the younger ones stopped when he saw Linkle.

"Good morning Linkle!" The young boy greeted.

Linkle smiled back at him.

"Good morning Benjamin, what are you up to today?"

The boy looked excited.

"We're going to look for frogs in the creek outside the walls!"

Linkle chuckled a little.

"Well, you three try to be careful okay? Outside the walls isn't as safe, make sure you can see a guard at all times while you're out there all right? I can see you got a scrape on your nose from the last adventure you three went on."

The boy had a bandage on his nose. He touched it at the thought.

"Ah, you grown-ups all worry so much! We'll be fine, Talon just got a slingshot. If we're in trouble he'll keep us safe!"

Linkle wasn't so convinced.

"Do you promise me that you'll stay within sight of a guard?"

The boy looked down for a moment, his excitement slightly injured. He let out a sigh before responding.

"Yeah, we'll stay in sight. Boy, you adults know how to spoil kids' fun."

Linkle just laughed.

"We just want you to be safe. Now off with you, the frogs won't catch themselves will they?"

The boy smiled again.

"Yeah, see you later Linkle!"

And with that the boy ran off to catch up with the others.

Linkle continued her walk to the barracks. When she finally arrived she saw a few soldiers practicing their sword skills on dummies that were set up. They looked over to her and one stepped forward.

"Hey Linkle, how about you and I go at it today? I've been practicing a lot and I think I'll be able to beat you this time."

Linkle smiled.

"I'll give you another chance, but first I have to check with the captain for today's errands. We'll have our rematch after I'm done alright?"

The guard nodded and went back to his sword practice.

Linkle saw her father talking to a couple of castle diplomats. Linkle decided to wait patiently, but it only took a few minutes before they were finished and left. She walked up to her father and he had a rather large grin on his face.

"What has you in such a happy mood today father?" she asked.

He just stared at her.

"I told the royal family of what you did, and they said they couldn't give you a position as a guard due to the law, but they said you could escort a couple of diplomats to a nearby kingdom!"

Linkle was trying to put together what she had just heard. She was so excited she wanted to jump for joy!

"So, will I get to work with you officially?" she asked.

He made a gesture that said sort of.

"You'll get to be a hired escort for when we need one, but other than that you're still not a part of the corps I'm afraid. Still, this is a huge step further than where you were before! You'll actually get to leave the castle, and protect the castle's couriers and chiefs. You may even one day work with Shana to escort Princess Zelda herself!"

Linkle liked the idea. At least she could do more for the castle, and if that was the case, she was happy. She looked up to her father to ask him about the daily tasks. She saluted before speaking.

"Well, reporting for my daily orders captain!"

Her father laughed and pulled out a piece of parchment with some things written on it.

"Well, the first thing I need you to do is pick up the new lantern for our scouting party. There've been reports of monsters trespassing in the forest, but it's so dark in those deep woods, our troops need something to light the way. I specially ordered a lantern that could light other torches so fires could be lit in the camps. It should be ready today, so please grab that and report back here for your next task."

Linkle saluted again.

"It will be done captain!"

She grabbed her sword and shield and strapped them on her back. After that, she was off. She walked down the steps of the barracks towards the rest of castle town. She saw markets open, dogs running, and children playing all over the place. Castle town was a symbol of safety and peace. She knew that it was the corps' duty to protect the people, and assist them in any way possible. This included occasionally settling fights, catching thieves, and even helping older men and women cross streets.

The corps was a symbol of honor and strength to the people. All together, castle town and Hyrule castle were considered the utopia of Hyrule.

As Linkle walked further, she saw a couple of buildings with symbols on them. One had a symbol of a bag, which she knew was the general store where the torch was. Next to it was a building with the symbol of a ghost. That place was where the fortune teller was. Linkle liked to avoid that spot, mainly because she was a little cuckoo.

She walked up to the general store, but heard a woman behind her laugh in a deep voice. Linkle turned around to see the fortune teller standing behind her. She was a bit startled by her.

She almost groaned because she didn't want to take the time to listen to her rants, but she didn't want to be rude, so she listened.

The woman waved her arms back and forth over and over again.

"I see into your soul Linkle! It would appear that you have a great destiny ahead of you, one that could decide the fate of the kingdom?! Oh my, you certainly have a special aura about you."

Linkle laughed uncomfortably.

"Well, I suppose if I don't get this lantern for our scouting party, then the kingdom could have monsters closer to the castle. So sure, I have an important job to do, if you'll excu-"

She was cut off by the woman again.

"No, it's something far more important than that! You have a great adventure ahead of you. Just remember, when light is absent, the flame will open the door!"

The woman walked away laughing more. Linkle didn't know what to make of that lady, but she sent chills up her spine. She just shook her head and walked into the store.

The bell by the door rang as she entered. She looked around and saw an older gentlemen standing behind the counter.

"Welcome, welcome! Please, do have a look around!"

Linkle smiled at him. He was a nice old man, but he never remembered who she was.

"I'm here to pick up a package for the captain of the guard. I believe it's a lantern?"

The older man looked excited.

"Ah yes, that lantern cost us quite a bit of time and money to get it! I'm just glad that he paid in advance. Now, I should explain how the darn thing works before you go."

Linkle listened carefully as she would have to relay these same instructions to the captain.

"You can light it by hitting the sparker button on the side. Once it's lit, you can light other things with it by pressing the button on the top. It will spray a tiny flame out of the bottom of it to light other things, but this consumes a lot of oil to keep it up for long, so try to only use that feature when you absolutely need to. If you want more oil, I have some available for purchase!"

Linkle nodded. She was amazed at how inventive he was. It seemed like a complicated device to make, but it would do the job for their soldiers, and that's what was important.

"Have a good day Tinkle!" The old man said as she left.

Linkle was even more amazed that he could remember all of those instructions, but he could never remember her name. Tinkle? She was a little embarrassed at what he had mixed it up with.

She shrugged and walked outside. She could tell that the way was even more crowded than before, and she wouldn't be able to get by through the main street at that time. Everyone was busy buying and selling whatever they had at the markets that day. It must have been popular items.

She walked over to the alleyway. She knew the streets like the back of her hand, and she could easily get there with time to spare through this way. She had her sword and shield on her, so if anyone tried to give her trouble she could easily defend herself.

She had the lantern on her side as she walked. It had a convenient clip on it so you could attach it to your belt. She thought to herself about how the corps always got the finest made tools and weapons.

As she walked she felt like someone was watching her. Instinctively she pulled out her sword and shield.

"Who's there?" She asked the darkened alley.

There was no response. Just as she turned around she saw a shadow of someone right in front of her. She jumped back, but not before they unclipped the lantern from her belt and stole it!

After she jumped back, she looked up to see who the trouble maker was. She saw none other than the thief from the day before!

He sat there on the rooftop dangling the lantern back and forth by the handle. He stared at her, almost mocking her with her package for her father!

"Interesting tool, how badly do you need this?" He asked.

Linkle grew angry and glared at him.

"We need that for supplying our border troops with light. Give it back, it's practically worthless to you!"

The thief laughed.

"It's worth something to you, which means it's worth something to me. How much are you willing to pay to get it back?"

Linkle was growing tired of this boy. He just stole whatever he wanted from people, and why did she have to be the one to come across him again? She thought for a moment, and she decided she'd rather come across him than he pick on some poor civilian.

"I have twenty rupees on me, but that's all that I have. I have to be on my way quickly, so if you'll just hand it over, I'll track you down later for arrest."

The thief looked at the lantern.

"Well, that's not a good way to convince me to give it back to you. Tell you what, if you can make it up to this rooftop with me, then I might just take your offer?"

Linkle was annoyed, but she didn't have time to argue. She decided she would enjoy putting this low-life in prison.

She looked to the rooftop and wondered how she would get up there. The thief must have read her thoughts because he offered her advice.

"If you want to climb up to high places, you need to look for ledges to grab onto. Look at that window ledge, and run at it. If you jump while running, you can grab onto it."

Linkle felt like he was mocking her by giving her advice on how to get up there. She looked at the ledge, and ran towards it, jumping at the last minute. She grabbed onto it with her hands and lifted herself up a bit, but she still wasn't to the rooftop yet. She tried to blow her hair back with her mouth so it wouldn't be in the way anymore. She had wished she tied it back before he tried to make the climb.

The thief spoke again.

"Good, you're not totally incapable after all. Now all you have to do is look at the roof edge, and jump to it."

She looked up. It was a decent jump to make, but she wasn't about to quit now. She used all of the force she could manage and grabbed the roof edge. After a moment she finally pulled herself up. She was breathing heavily while glaring at the thief. She pulled out her sword and shield ready to fight him.

"Hey, I was going to be nice and give this to you, but you threaten me? Put those away and I might give this to you."

She didn't stop glaring at him, but she slowly sheathed her blade and put away her shield. She walked up to him and held out her hand.

"Alright, I've played your little game. Now can I have that back so I can be on my way?"

The thief chuckled.

"Actually, I think I'll keep it."

Linkle was furious.

"I should arrest you!" She shouted at him.

This only made him laugh even more.

"If I recall, you don't have that authority sweetheart?"

She was getting angrier by the minute.

"Well, I could capture you and then let one of the guards arrest you, how about that?"

The thief just bowed.

"Thank you for the thought, as well as the entertainment, but I better be off now. I have other business to attend to."

He leapt off of the rooftop onto the wall. Linkle chased after him to get her lantern back. She wasn't about to let him get away so easily.

The thief looked back to see Linkle right behind him. He jumped off of the wall down to the grassy area down below, outside the town. Linkle jumped after him again and at the last second she tucked and rolled to avoid hurting herself. She continued to chase him, but he was faster than she was.

He would occasionally stop and tease her with the lantern before he would continue to run away. It was driving Linkle insane! After a while he stopped in front of the walls.

"Look sweetheart, I'll make you a deal. I get to use this lantern for today, and I'll return it first thing in the morning. I'll even pay you for the rental, how does thirty rupees sound?"

Linkle was more annoyed than ever.

"Why didn't you try that approach before, instead of just taking it?!"

The thief shrugged.

"Would you have lent it to me?"

She had a defeated look. She wouldn't have lent it to him no matter how much he paid her. She needed to deliver it to her father, it wasn't about money.

"It's important for our men." She announced.

"And I'll make sure it gets back to you safe and sound. It won't kill them to get it a day late will it?"

Linkle was about to respond, but before she could she heard a horn sound. It was one she recognized. It was the sound of war.

She looked back towards the gates to see an army of monsters trying to enter. The guards tried to raise the drawbridge, but a couple of the monsters were already on the battlements and attacking the guards. One of them ran over to the lever and lowered the drawbridge back down. Linkle watched in horror as the army of monsters entered castle town!

She grabbed her sword and shield and was about to charge them, but the thief grabbed her shoulder.

"Are you crazy?! You really do have a death wish don't you? There are way too many monsters for you to fight from here, just leave them!"

Linkle was angrier than ever before.

"You expect me to leave those people to defend themselves?! I may not be an official guard, but I have a strong wish to protect them, and no one is going to stop me!"

The thief looked defeated. After a moment he spoke up.

"You can't fight them from here. You want to join the other soldiers in defending the castle, right? I know of a way that you can get inside the castle from out here."

Linkle was confused.

"I know this place like the back of my hand, there's no other way in." She said defiantly.

The thief just shook his head.

"There's a secret passage to leave the castle for the royal family, but the knowledge of it was lost to them a long time ago. I stumbled across it by accident, but leaving the castle through it is easier than entering the castle through it. There are some traps set up to keep people from getting in, but none for getting out."

Linkle looked at him for a moment wondering if she could trust him. He spoke again.

"I can help you get inside. To be honest, I was going to use it to try to steal back the pendant again, but I needed this."

He held up the lantern.

"It's too dark to see anything in there. I needed something to light the way so I can avoid the traps set up."

Linkle stared at him and simply nodded.

"Show me where this passage is, but if you try to betray my temporary trust, being arrested will be the least of your worries."

The thief nodded slowly in annoyance. He obviously wasn't thrilled to be helping her out.

He walked over a short distance and pressed on a stone brick on the wall. Suddenly a passage opened up to reveal a tunnel with steps going down. The thief turned to her and nodded.

"It's through here."


	3. Chapter 3

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series.

Chapter 3: Search for the Hero

Linkle walked along the dark tunnel next to the thief. She never thought she would be allowing him to help her, but getting to the royal family and making sure they were safe was the top priority. She couldn't let her distrust in this scoundrel to get in the way of that. She would trust him… for now.

She looked at him. His face was still mostly hidden by his muffler. She hated silence, so she tried to start up a conversation.

"So, what's your name?" she asked.

He turned to look at her, but no emotion showed on his face.

"Why the sudden interest?" he began, "Are you trying to find out my name so you can arrest me after this is over?"

Linkle was annoyed at the thought. It was true that she would love to see him arrested, but if he helped her she couldn't find any reason to do so anymore.

"If you help me and are true to your word, I'm sure that the royal family will give you a pardon for what you have done in the past. Any future crimes will result in arrest of course, but unless you do that, which you likely will, I have no reason to try to arrest you."

The hylian rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's great incentive." He said a bit sarcastically. "It's not like you have the authority to do so anyway. You're not a part of the corps."

There he went again! He seemed to love to point that out and wave it in Linkle's face a lot. It was starting to get on her nerves. She tried to swallow the anger, and continue.

"I'm just trying to make conversation, alright? I really don't care that much what your name is actually."

The thief chuckled.

"Then why did you ask?"

Linkle just glared at him. He cuckled again and continued.

"Well, why don't you tell me yours first? I'm sure you're growing tired of me calling you sweetheart."

Linkle sighed and decided to tell him. If nothing else it would end his sarcastic comments.

"My name is Linkle." She stated.

The thief tried to hide a laugh, but Linkle heard it.

"I was named after the hero of Hyrule if you think it's so funny! Since I'm a girl, my father named me a feminine version of it."

The thief calmed himself down and tried to speak again.

"I'm sorry, it was just unexpected. Linkle huh, doesn't it sound a bit like tinkle?"

Linkle had just about enough. She stopped walking for a moment. In response the thief stopped too, which is what Linkle wanted. She took in a breath and slapped him across the face. She put a lot of force behind it, as it sent him back a couple steps from the impact.

The thief stood there rubbing his cheek in shock.

"Wow, you sure can pack a punch! I'll be more careful from now on."

Linkle huffed and continued to walk after grabbing the lantern from him. She tried to leave him behind, but he caught up easily. She was still mad, but she tried to keep the conversation going.

"So what's your name if you think mine is so silly?" She asked.

He was silent for a moment as he seemed to think something over. Then he just shrugged.

"I guess it can't hurt to tell you. You would recognize me anyway from sight."

He looked over at her for a moment.

"You're really sly aren't you? Batting your eyelashes like that at me to get information."

Linkle blushed for a moment. She started to get angry again and she raised her hand as if to slap him, but the thief jumped back before she could. He continued.

"My name is Rees, swashbuckling rogue at your service."

He bowed as he said it, but Linkle just kept walking pretending not to notice. He tried to catch up again since he was being left in the dark.

"Ah, you're playing hard to get I see. Being feisty isn't always the best strategy you know, you risk making the guy disinterested."

Linkle couldn't contain her anger any longer.

"Will you just shut up?! All you do is bother and annoy me, well I've had about enou-"

He quickly tackled her to the ground. She was protesting, but she noticed he pushed her out of the way of a swinging axe. Were these the traps he mentioned? Why would anyone pick a giant swinging axe?

He slowly raised himself up to the side of the wall out of harm's way, and he motioned for her to do the same. After she got up he was shaking his head.

"Man, I thought someone who trained with the corps would be more aware than that! You stepped on a trap switch, you nearly got yourself killed!"

Linkle wanted to argue, but she recognized he really didn't want her hurt. She thought it was a bit strange.

"Why do you care what happens to me? Aren't I just a nuisance to you?" She asked.

Rees rubbed his neck.

"It's true that you are a setback to my road of fortune, but like I said before I'm not a murderer. It's not like I'm okay with people getting hurt, I just steal stuff. Stealing doesn't involve killing, or wounding in any way at all. Thievery is just get in, take what you want, and get out. No mess, no conscience."

Linkle admired how he didn't like to hurt people, but the last statement killed her improved view of him.

"No conscience?" She repeated.

She folded her arms waiting for an answer. He sighed in response.

"Yes, no conscience. I haven't really hurt anyone, just their wallets. People can and will recover from that."

Linkle didn't agree, but she wasn't going to try to change his mind. She decided to switch topics.

"So we've encountered a trap already, what are the others?" She questioned.

He motioned for her to give him back the lantern. Grudgingly, she did so. He led the way looking back and forth carefully. Eventually they came to a door, but it was locked.

Rees examined it carefully, but this seemed to annoy him.

"Great, it's locked from the other side." He announced.

Linkle looked at it curiously.

"There has to be a way in." She proclaimed.

Rees shook his head.

"It's designed for people to leave the castle, not to enter. There may not be a way through."

He handed the lantern to Linkle.

"Here, there are a couple of torch stands near this door. You ignite them to give me more light, and I'll see if I can pick the lock from this side."

Linkle took the lamp and shrugged. If it would help she would do it. She walked over to the first torch stand and she pushed the button on the handle. A small flame spit out from the bottom and she waved the lantern across the stand. Suddenly it came to life!

Linkle looked at the lantern amazed at how well it worked. A lot of time and effort definitely went into this thing.

She walked over to the other stand and did the same thing. This time it didn't ignite right away and she tried to wave it across again. This time it worked and sprung to life similar to the other one.

She looked over to see how Rees was doing when she heard him make an alarmed sound.

"Whoa!" He shouted as he tried to get back.

The door slowly was raising itself up to reveal the passageway behind it. Linkle was amazed at Rees' ability to unlock the door.

She walked over to congratulate him.

"Nicely done Rees, I admit this is one time your thieving skills have helped the crown."

Rees just looked at her in shock.

"That wasn't me. I hadn't inserted the lockpick yet, what did you do?"

Linkle was puzzled, but she pointed to the torch stands.

"I just lit those like you told me to. I didn't do anything special."

Rees started to nod.

"I see, the door must have opened in response to the torches being lit."

He looked above the door to see writing. It read something.

"When darkness is vanquished, the way is opened."

Linkle started to laugh. The answer had been right in front of them the whole time. Rees didn't seem to be so amused. He just rolled his eyes and gestured towards the way.

"Well, shall we get going?" He asked.

Linkle nodded still laughing a little and they went through.

After walking a bit further, Linkle could hear the sounds of a battle ahead. She knew they had to be getting close. She ran ahead to find one last door in front of them. She could hear clear sounds of people speaking on the other side. It sounded like Princess Zelda's voice, but she couldn't make out what she was saying.

She beckoned for Rees to come over.

"Rees, we found it! They're just on the other side!"

Rees started to clap.

"Well great, now you can get yourself killed. Now if you'll excuse me."

He turned around as if to leave, but Linkle called out to him.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to come with me?"

Rees just shook his head.

"If war has hit Hyrule, there's no point in me stealing the pendant. There'll be bigger problems the royal family will have to deal with than giving a ransom to some thief. I figure I'll go somewhere else where there's a potential for some profit to be made."

Linkle almost couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"So after all of that, you're just going to leave?!"

Rees shrugged.

"It's not like we have been through a whole lot together sweetheart. I'm a simple thief, and you're a warrior. I'm not cut out for this kind of stuff. Have fun with the war."

He started to walk away, but he stopped. He turned around and started to walk over to Linkle. He looked a little embarrassed and he started to look at the floor.

"Um, it's really dark down there. Can I have the lantern to find my way back?"

Linkle was angry, so she shook her head and held onto it.

"It was never yours to begin with, and if you're going to act like this you can just wander around in the darkness for all I care!"

Rees sighed.

"Alright, if you won't give it back, then I'll have to come with you long enough to find my way out. Are you happy now?"

Linkle wasn't. She was still upset about his attitude towards everything. If the castle was under attack, he could at least try to give that sword on his back some use.

She just turned around and opened the door. On the other side they both saw the door blended in perfectly with the stone wall. You would have never been able to tell it was there by looking at it from the outside!

Linkle saw Zelda and Shana speaking with each other. They both stopped and stared at Linkle in surprise as she came through the door.

Linkle walked over to them with a serious face.

"It's a long story, and there's no time to explain. Through here is a secret way, Zelda can leave the castle. You both need to go now!"

Shana just nodded, but Zelda seemed to protest.

"I'm not leaving everyone here!" She exclaimed.

Shana just glared at her.

"Your majesty, it's my duty to protect you, and that gives me authority to do whatever is necessary. So I beg your pardon, but…"

She picked up the princess and threw her over her shoulder. Zelda was kicking and screaming in response to this. Shana then looked at Linkle and Rees.

"I've been trying to convince her to leave the castle for the last twenty minutes, but she tried to argue that there wasn't any safe route to take. Thank you, you two will forever be remembered."

She turned to Rees.

"Good sir, what is your name?"

Rees stared at Shana who had Zelda kicking and screaming over her shoulder. He looked back at Linkle and she just smirked and shrugged.

He looked back at Shana with an answer.

"My name in George." He stated.

Shana nodded at him, but Linkle just stood there in shock. Which one was his real name?

"Well George, we are forever in you debt."

Rees just chuckled.

"I have a feeling I'll need to cash in on that in the future."

Shana looked puzzled but just nodded and went through the passage. Linkle called out to her and handed her the lantern to help her get through. She took it and the two disappeared into the tunnel.

Rees looked at the passage.

"Well, maybe I should just-"

Linkle grabbed the back of his shirt before he could get away.

"Oh no you don't, do you think that I'm going to let you get near the princess? You could try to ransom her even in time of war."

Rees looked appalled.

"You don't trust me?"

Linkle just stared at him with a face that said "Really". Rees nodded.

"Yeah, I knew the answer to that one before I asked. So what exactly do you plan on doing now?"

Linkle looked towards the exit.

"I plan on finding my father, he'll have a plan of attack. I suspect you'll just look for a place you can run away from."

Rees shrugged.

"Oh yes, because you know me so well."

Linkle was growing tired of his sarcasm. She went through the exit to see members of the corps all over fighting various monsters. Among the crowd she tried to spot her father. Just as she expected, he was at the front of it all leading the troops.

"There's my father, I'm going to get to him."

Rees sighed.

"Have fun with getting killed. I think I'll just sit this one out."

Linkle glared at him before leaving.

She ran down the steps hoping to reach him. A moblin from the side tried to attack her, but she parried the attack with her shield. She then followed up with a counter attack and slashed the moblin's gut. She continued her decent, having to stop from time to time to engage a monster or two. She needed to reach her father to know what his plan was.

She finally reached him as he was engaged with a taller moblin with armor on. Linkle could see a spot on his back that wasn't covered and she ran to help her father. Without a moment's hesitation she stabbed her blade into the back of the creature. It let out a shriek of pain before it fell.

Her father seemed surprised to see her.

"Linkle, what are you doing here? This is too dangerous, we'll be overrun soon!"

Linkle just shook her head.

"I'm here to help. What's the plan father?"

He just shook his head in despair.

"The plan is to retreat. There are too many of them darling, we'll only get ourselves killed. Even my healing magic can't save enough men to withstand this assault."

Linkle couldn't believe what her father was saying!

"But… but we have to do something!" She exclaimed.

Her dad nodded.

"Yes, and I do have a special assignment for you. We'll retreat to fight another day, I'll organize a resistance to cut down their numbers from time to time, but we can't do this on our own."

He pulled out the green pendant from before.

"I never had a chance to get it back to the royal family. They've all left and are safe, but this presents us with an opportunity. They say that the hero will come again when our time is at its darkest."

He looked at her with a serious face.

"This time is our darkest hour. Take the pendant of courage, find the next hero, and give this to him. He'll need it to obtain the sword of evil's bane."

Linkle took the pendant with a little nervousness.

"Where do I look for him?" She asked.

Her father laughed at himself.

"Yes, of course it would be important to know where to look wouldn't it? In Kokiri forest, there is a great living tree called the "Deku Tree". He will know where you can find the next hero."

Just then a monster from behind tried to attack the two of them. A figure jumped in front of them and blocked the attack with a strange black sword. When Linkle looked up, she saw it was Rees!

"Didn't I say you were going to get yourself killed?"

He quickly dispatched the creature with the weapon. More were coming, and he slashed his sword in the air, then it sent a wave of dark energy at them knocking the majority of them to the ground.

Linkle was shocked at what just happened. Her father didn't seem all too happy.

"Honey, what did I say about boys? You aren't allowed to have a boyfriend until you're in your fifties!"

Linkle's cheeks started to burn.

"He's not my boyfriend! I only met him the other day!"

Rees grunted.

"Gee, no need to thank me for saving both of your lives."

Linkle's father cleared his throat.

"My apologies, thank you for saving our lives. Now please, you both need to leave. I'll rally my men to give you an opening."

He charged forth, but as he did so a large armored man approached. He had one red eye, but the other one was covered by an eye patch with a wicked looking scar coming out from both ends of it. He was clad in full black armor accept for his head.

The sinister looking man Shouted for his forces to charge, and Linkle's father did the same. The two armies collided as they slashed at each other.

Linkle was standing there in shock of what was happening, but Rees grabbed her arm.

"Come on, you heard the man! We need to escape!"

She snapped out of it and the two ran up to the battlements of the walls. They had to dodge a few arrows as they made their way across. Finally they reached a spot low enough where they could jump down without being hurt.

They looked at each other and jumped together.

Linkle stood up and looked back to hear the sounds of the battle continuing. After a moment she heard the horn sound a retreat command to the troops. She stood there watching as smoke engulfed the town she grew up in, and loved so much. A small tear went down her face.

She turned around to see Rees smirking.

"Well, now that that's all over and done with I think it's about time we parted ways."

Linkle was depressed so she just nodded despairingly.

Rees sighed and walked over to her.

"Well, since this is goodbye for who knows how long, I guess I should leave you with something to remember me by. Hold out your hand would you?"

Linkle didn't want to look up, but she did and held out her hand for whatever strange thing he wanted to leave with her.

He stared at her in the eyes and after a moment he took her hand and shoved it away as he leaned in and kissed her. He jumped back and waved goodbye as he ran away.

Linkle just stood there completely dumbfounded. She was shocked enough as it was about having to leave the castle behind in its time of peril, but now a new shock found its way into her mind!

She felt her cheeks burn more than ever, and she started to feel anger welling up inside of her. The kiss had certainly helped her come out of the shock of everything that happened up to that point.

In Anger she shouted at him.

"I hate you! You thieving brute! You conniving scoundrel! You better hope we don't cross paths again, because if we do I'M GOING TO BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY!"

Rees in the distance was just laughing as he ran away.


	4. Chapter 4

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series.

P.S. Sorry this chapter came out a little late. My cousin had a baby so I couldn't post this as soon as usual.

Chapter 4: The Hero's Name

Linkle was fuming mad from what happened before. She was glad to finally be out of that brute's company. Now she could finally focus on her current task.

She felt like she had been walking for hours. Despite how long she had been traveling she couldn't keep herself from blushing. She knew Hyrule field was large, but she didn't feel like it was that big. She looked at the sun and it was beginning to set behind the hills. She tried to glance over at her destination and determine how much further she had to go. She estimated it wouldn't take too much longer to reach the forest entrance.

She started to go into a jog towards Kokiri forest. She was eager to get there before the sun set. She had no idea what type of creatures came out at night.

She finally reached the entrance and looked from side to side. She walked into the darkness and saw a path that split into three directions. She started to scratch her head. All the paths looked the same to her and each one was dark so she couldn't see the other side very well.

Linkle sighed and just closed her eyes and pointed while spinning around. When she stopped and opened her eyes, she saw she was pointing at the field where she just came from. In annoyance Linkle blew a lock of her hair further from her face. She looked at the three paths and shrugged. She decided to go straight in hopes that that was the way.

After she went through she saw another path with three ways again, but this time there was a small tree stump in the center. She decided to go right this time and found herself go right back to the entrance!

Linkle was annoyed. She was sure she hadn't gone back towards the entrance, but her eyes told her otherwise. She went to the left this time, and she found a dead end looking at a small pond. She turned around and went back the way she came, but this time she ended up in a new location with a couple of bushes in the center!

She knew that she came from the entrance, but now she was in a new place. She felt like the forest was playing a nasty trick on her. She almost wanted to scream, but went to the right path from this one. Once again she found herself at the entrance.

Linkle was so annoyed by all the events that had happened recently that this was the final straw. She walked over to a nearby tree and starting kicking it repeatedly. After she kicked it a number of times, she finally felt like she had blown off enough steam to continue.

She suddenly heard a voice speak to her.

"My my, it seems you are having trouble finding your way?"

Linkle looked up to see a skull kid sitting on one of the larger branches of a tree.

"Would you like some help?" He asked.

Linkle was unsure of this skull kid, she had heard that they liked to play tricks on people, but she didn't know of any other way to navigate these irritating woods.

"I would like some help, yes."

The skull kid jumped down and landed right in front of Linkle, which startled her a little.

"Well then, if you want me to show you the way, how about we play a little game?"

Linkle looked at him puzzled.

"What kind of game?"

The skull kid laughed in a creepy way.

"What kind of game you ask? Why, it's the fun kind of course!"

He walked over to the entrance of the forest.

"If you can catch me, I'll show you, but if you can't keep up, you'll likely starve in this forest!"

He started to run off and Linkle quickly followed behind him.

She tried to keep up, but the boy was fast and she wasn't expecting him to start so suddenly. She followed him straight through, then left, but she lost him at that point. She was extremely annoyed at how this skull kid had gotten her lost even more now. She tried picking the path that went straight this time and she was at the entrance again.

She was starting to get discouraged. Her only chance to find her way and he was gone now. Just then she heard a chilling voice from behind.

"Oh come on that was so boring!"

Linkle jumped and turned around to see the skull kid again.

"Heheh, I scared you didn't I? Well, I guess I can give you another chance to keep up, but this time it will cost you ten rupees!"

Linkle was appalled, but she reached inside her rupee pouch and pulled out a red rupee which was worth twenty.

"Can you give me some change?" She asked.

The skull kid laughed.

"Nope!"

The skull kid grabbed the rupee from Linkle and started to run away again. This time Linkle was expecting it and she managed to keep up for a while. She went through straight, then left, then left again, then right, and then straight.

The two emerged in a decent sized grove with a bunch of tree houses and children running around in green outfits. The skull kid was in front of her and he was laughing from amusement.

"Wow, you really are fast! No one has been able to keep up with me before! See you later! I'm keeping the rupees just so you know."

He jumped up to a nearby tree and continued to jump from branch to branch until he was out of sight. A couple of the kids in green outfits ran after the boy and they were shouting at him.

"Skull kid, you better stop causing trouble around here! If Kale ever catches you, you'll have a lot to be worried about!"

Linkle looked at the children with interest as to why they lived here. They all turned around and looked at her from top to bottom. One of the kids had green hair and was a little girl, while the other two were boys and one had blonde hair while the other had brown.

The brown haired boy walked forward towards Linkle and spoke.

"A stranger has visited us. It has been a long time since strangers have come to our forest. I am Dren, and we are the Kokiri. What brings you here?"

The blonde haired boy shoved Dren out of the way.

"Forget that, how are you doing babe? You can't be a Kokiri, you're far too mature and beautiful looking to be one. Tell me, are you a zora? Because you've been swimming through my mind since I laid my eyes on you!"

The green haired girl punched him in the head.

"Knock it off Niel, no woman on earth wants to hear your insufferable speech! I am so sorry for my friend here. He thinks he's a ladies' man. My name is Safron by the way, nice to meet you!"

Linkle just waved awkwardly to all of them. She didn't know what to think of these strange children. One asked her why she was there, another tried to hit on her, and the last one was super nice. She wondered where their parents were.

"Um, my name is Linkle. I came here to see the Deku Tree, I am not a zora, and it's a pleasure to meet you as well. Might I ask where your parents are?"

Safron and Niel started to laugh, but Dren was serious. Safron was the one to speak up.

"I'm guessing your real question is where all of the adults are? Well, we are the adults! Kokiri don't grow up like humans, or in your case, Hylians do. We stay the age of children forever!"

Niel puffed up his chest trying to look proud.

"And you seek the great Deku Tree do you? Only those who have been summoned by him may see him! And the only two who have been summoned among our people are Tira and Kale!"

Dren looked angrily at Niel.

"Why are you telling all of this to a complete stranger?! She could be a spy for a band of brigands!"

Niel shrugged.

"Oh lighten up Dren! It's not like she can see the great Deku Tree anyway, she'd have to get past Kale. Kale is our finest warrior, he even was found worthy of carrying the Kokiri sword!"

Dren just huffed.

"Well, my friend is right about two things at least. You cannot see the great Deku Tree unless you have been summoned, and our finest and bravest warrior Kale guards the way. Even if you do have a sword and you are bigger than us, you won't be able to beat Kale. I've seen him take down a fully grown wolfo!"

Linkle was annoyed. She had traveled all of this way and she wasn't going to be told she couldn't now!

"I need to see him! I need to find the next hero of Hyrule, and give this pendant to him!"

She held out the pendant of courage. All three kokiris gasped. Safron was the one to speak up.

"Well, it's worth a try at least, especially with something as important as this. Why don't you go and talk to Kale? He's on the other side of this grove."

Dren obviously wasn't happy about it, but he nodded and let Linkle by. She nodded and started walking.

As she left Safron was obviously upset with Niel.

"Hmph! So you think she's more beautiful than me?"

Niel tried to get defensive.

"Safron, baby! I was just trying to sweat talk her so she'd tell us what we wanted to know! Come on, you know I think you're the most gorgeous one around!"

Dren just shook his head at those two.

Linkle had reached the other side and found another boy, but he was in different clothing. He had silver hair, and was in a green tunic with chainmail underneath. He had a wooden shield in one hand and a sword in the other.

When he saw her approaching he raised his shield closer to his face.

"Greetings miss, I am afraid you are not allowed to pass through here. The only ones allowed through here are those who have been summoned by the great-"

Linkle cut him off before he could finish.

"Deku Tree, yes I know. Listen, I need to meet with him. It's about Hyrule's fate and I need his counsel."

The boy was a bit taken aback by her interruption, but he cleared his throat and continued.

"I am Kale, and I am the keeper of the great Deku Tree. I understand that he is the best one to counsel with on these matters, but I cannot-"

Kale was cut off again by the voice of a red haired girl in a green robe running up from where he was guarding.

"Wait! Kale wait, she needs to see the great Deku Tree! He has foreseen her in a vision and he has requested her presence!"

Kale's pride was hurt even more by being cut off a second time. It was obvious he practiced this speech, but he didn't get the chance to say if very often. He simply let out a sigh.

"Thank you Tira, and would it have killed you to wait until after I finished?"

Tira was starting to come to a stop, but she tripped and fell on her face. She got up with some dirt and grass on her cheeks, but she tried to wipe them away.

"Sorry Kale, I know you don't get to give your speech very often, but this couldn't wait! You there, please follow me!"

Linkle smiled. It would seem that luck was on her side this time. Sure she lost twenty rupees, lost the castle to enemies, and got kissed by a jerk she didn't like, but she could finally accomplish her task, or at least be a step further in it.

As she walked by Kale she smiled at him.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you! I promise I'll try to come by again when I have time and listen to the whole thing without interruption, okay?"

Kale started to blush a little. This stranger had quite the smile, and she was pretty to boot. He quickly shook his head and muttered something to himself.

"Heroes like me cannot be distracted by girls!"

He thought for a moment.

"Well, Tira doesn't count, does she?"

Linkle followed Tira through a tunnel. Once they got to the other side a very large tree came into view. She thought it was curious that a tree looked like it had a mustache. It looked over at her and spoke.

"Linkle, I have been expecting you. Please come forward."

Linkle looked at Tira and she motioned her to do as the tree had said. Linkle thought that she had never dreamed she would be taking orders from a talking tree.

"I have come at your request great Deku Tree!"

The Deku Tree nodded as much as a tree could.

"Yes, and now my child, what is it that you seek?"

Linkle rose.

"I seek the next hero of Hyrule, to end the evil that has come upon the land!"

The Deku Tree was silent for a little bit. Linkle started to wonder if he had fallen asleep, but she wasn't sure if a tree could. Finally he spoke again.

"What you ask is interesting. I think you will be surprised to hear the answer, but it is one that shall not come from my lips."

Linkle was confused by his riddle of words.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

The Deku Tree started to hum for a moment before speaking.

"Do you see that cave behind you? It is called the hero's cave and in it you shall find someone who will tell you who the next hero is, and where to find them. You must hear it from his lips."

Linkle turned around to see a cave with a few strands of vines hanging down from it. She nodded and started to walk towards it, but the Deku Tree spoke again.

"I warn you, you will only see his face if you prove yourself to be a true hero. Show forth your courage, and you will find him."

Linkle nodded once again and headed inside.

Inside she saw a large room with a door on the far side. She walked over to it, but suddenly bars appeared in front of the door! She looked back and saw bars on the way she entered through as well! A couple of statues on the sides came to life and drew swords made of stone. They started to march towards her ready to fight.

Linkle pulled out her own sword and shield and was ready to meet them. One charged at her, but she tucked and rolled out of the way. The other was already in position to skewer her with the tip of his sword.

Everything slowed down into slow motion to her. She could feel her adrenaline pumping as she tried to make a maneuver to dodge the attack. She remembered a move her father taught her and instinctively slid into it. As she slid into the point on the sword she moved her body to the side and put her shield against the blade grazing the stone against metal. When she came close to the golem, she thrust the point of her blade into the face of the statue piercing it in between its eyes.

Time came back to normal speed and she saw the other stone knight coming towards her. It had its sword raised above its head to smite her where she stood. She jumped back to avoid the blow, but the statue took another swipe with blinding speed! She managed to duck from the attack which caused the stone blade to sink into a crack in the wall causing it to be stuck.

The giant tried and tried to pull it out, and Linkle took this opportunity to hack the statue's head off. The stone head came rolling off onto the floor and she thought that the stone seemed remarkably soft and decided it wasn't traditional granite like she assumed at first.

After they were both down, the bars on both sides sunk back into the floor. Linkle opened the door before her and walked into a room that was lit with blue flames. She saw a pedestal with three indents in it. One was blue, one was red, and the last was green. She also saw two doors in the room, one which went straight and one to the left.

She was rather curious as to the indents and assumed it was for the three pendants. She looked around and tried the two doors, but neither of them budged. She was trying to figure out what to do when she thought to put her pendant on the pedestal.

She pulled out the green necklace and gazed at it.

"Well, he said to show my courage. I guess this could qualify."

She placed it in the green spot and suddenly the room filled with light!

Linkle looked around, but it was hard since she had been partially blinded by the light. When it started to die down, she could see a figure standing before her, but he was transparent. Linkle almost couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him!

"Link, it's you!" She exclaimed.

Link just smiled and laughed. He looked a little older than most of the paintings of him. They generally portrayed him in his early twenties, but he looked to be more like about thirty as a ghost. He looked like he had been expecting her.

"Hello Linkle, I am glad to meet you, or should I say see you in person? After all, I met you when you were first born!"

Linkle looked at him puzzled. She was born after Link had died.

"What do you mean? I was born after your time. How could we have possibly already met?"

Link just laughed again.

"I am not one for many words, so I'll make this brief, but we are very much alike you and I. You have come to find out who and where the next hero of Hyrule is, yes?"

Linkle nodded her head and Link continued.

"Well, I am here to tell you that the next hero is here, in this very cave!"

Linkle looked excited.

"So you're coming back? I knew that you couldn't die of something as stupid as old age! You're coming back to save Hyrule!"

To this, Link just shook his head seriously.

"I am afraid that old age had indeed taken me. I will not be returning."

Linkle was confused now.

"So, who did you mean then? You said they are in this cave."

Link just laughed again.

"Who else is in this cave besides me? It's you Linkle! You are to be the next hero! You are my reincarnation!"

Linkle was shocked to hear such words. Why was Link playing such a horribly mean prank on her! Couldn't he just tell her who it was already so she could deliver the pendant to him? He spoke up again.

"Linkle, look at your left hand and tell me what you see right now."

Linkle did so and fell back from surprise. She had the symbol of the Triforce on her hand! It was glowing now that Link was in her presence! Linkle, needless to say, was at a loss for words at the moment.

"I… uh… you… but… how…"

Link smiled.

"You see, you are the next hero. That pendant belongs to you now. Do you understand?"

Linkle swallowed and nodded slowly. She slowly got herself up from the floor. Link continued.

"You will need to get the other two pendants from the sacred temples."

Linkle nodded.

"I will."

"You must obtain the master sword and bring peace to the land." He said.

Linkle nodded once again.

"I will!"

Link was glad of her devotion.

"Good, now go! Obtain the other pendants. Only then can the master sword be acquired."

Linkle was hesitant to do so at first.

"But I have so many questions! Can't I counsel with you a little longer?"

Link just shook his head grimly.

"I am afraid that I cannot dwell in this world for long. You must do the rest on your own for the most part. It is the hero's way. Now there is no time to lose."

Linkle nodded a bit depressingly and walked out towards the door, but Link stopped her.

"Wait, before you go Linkle. Through this door you'll be given some help. I suggest you take it."

Linkle paused.

"I thought you said I had to do this on my own?"

Link shook his head.

"Although that is true for the most part, every hero knows that they cannot do it completely alone. You will receive some help and guidance."

Linkle nodded and the door on the left was opened.

Linkle walked through into a room that had a floor covered in water with tons of fairies flying around. She thought it was interesting, but didn't say anything. One of the fairies that were colored blue flew to her and was hovering in front of her nose.

Linkle was a bit startled by it.

"Oh hello, um, nice to meet you, my name is Linkle."

The little fairy startled to twinkle a little.

"Hi, my name is Button, and I will be your fairy from now on!"

Linkle raised an eyebrow.

"Button?" she questioned.

"Linkle?" the fairy retorted.

Linkle wondered if all fairies had an attitude like this.

"Well, it's a pleasure. How exactly is a fairy going to help me?"

The fairy started to flutter around a bit while turning more reddish.

"Hey! I will be lots of help! Don't you know how knowledgeable fairies are? When you get stuck, or can't figure something out, I can help you!"

Linkle thought part of that statement sounded a bit rude.

"When?" she questioned. She guessed this fairy didn't think she was very capable, but the same could be said for her views on Button.

Suddenly in the center of the pond another bright light appeared revealing a human sized fairy. She laughed quite a bit as she appeared which Linkle thought was a bit strange.

The large fairy looked at Linkle up and down, which made her feel uncomfortable.

"My my, I see you have found you new partner Button! And you! You look like the cutest hero we've had yet!"

Linkle didn't like being called cute in that context. Normally it was a compliment to her, but in this case it made her sound like a little kid. The fairy continued to assess her.

"It seems you're outfit is lacking though. I'll need to fix that."

Linkle was a bit nervous as to what that meant.

"Wait, no! These are fine I'm sure, you really don't have to-"

Before she could even finish the fairy waved her hand and a bright light enveloped Linkle causing her clothes to change in shape and color. Pretty soon, she was in a new outfit entirely. She now had a green mini cloak on with a light colored tunic and chainmail underneath. She also was now in a green skirt with white tights and she had boots that went well above the knees. The final finish was a green pointed hat which sat on her head.

She liked to look pretty, but she felt more like a model than a warrior in this outfit. The fairy seemed to be applauding her own work.

"Yes, a hero outfit designed for a girl! This is the first time a woman has been the hero, so the traditional one wouldn't due of course. It probably would have swamped you since you're a bit more petite than the last hero. What do you think?"

Linkle tried to word her thoughts as best as she could.

"I'm speechless."


	5. Chapter 5

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series.

Announcement!: In honor of the first review I received on my fanfiction I am posting the 5th chapter early! I will still post another chapter as usual on Thursday. Sadly the person who did the review was a guest, so I can't properly mention him/her, but you know who you are. You asked me to update so you could keep reading, so in honor of that, here it is! Thank you to all who read my fanfiction. You inspire me to keep writing!

Chapter 5: The Road to Death Mountain

Linkle tried to warm herself up near the fire. She tried to calm herself down so she could sleep that night. The kokiri were so nice as to let her spend the night there, but they didn't have any extra tree houses for her, not that she would really fit in them very well anyway.

She had been thinking a lot about everything that had happened lately. She had to leave her father behind in a castle raid, she was kissed by a thief, a skull kid stole rupees from her, she met a talking tree, got a fairy as a companion, and on top of it all she was told she was the next hero! Needless to say she was having trouble with everything that happened.

Linkle let herself fall backward to where she was laying on the grass looking up at the stars. She put her hand to her head since she was getting a headache. Perhaps it was from all of the stress that had happened?

Button came floating over to her. She had to leave Linkle's hat when she fell backward to avoid being squashed.

"Hey! Be more careful, you could have smashed me into the ground!"

Linkle looked up. She had forgotten that Button was in there.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind. You were so quiet that I forgot you were here."

Button turned red.

"Well I am here! So please remember that! Do I have to come out every so often and shout at you to listen or something so you don't forget about me?"

Linkle looked a little uncomfortable. She wasn't fond of that idea.

"No thanks, it won't happen again."

This seemed to satisfy Button, but Linkle had a question on her mind.

"Hey Button, can I ask you a question?"

Button went back to her normal color.

"Of course, you probably have a lot."

Linkle looked at Button for a moment before responding.

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

Button turned red again.

"I am a girl! Why would you have to ask?"

Linkle shrugged.

"I can't really see what you look like since you glow so much. All I see is a blue light, or rather red right now, and a pair of wings."

Button turned back to normal color again.

"Oh, I see that makes sense actually. In order to fly I have to use fairy magic which causes the glow, but if I land I can show you."

She landed on Linkle's stomach and the glow faded.

She had a cute face with black hair that was tied in a knot with a couple of small twigs. She had a sleeveless button up shirt which must have been custom made for her size, unless fairies had tailors. She also had some shorts on with knee high boots. Her eyes were a very vivid blue which Linkle guessed was why her natural color was blue in the first place.

"So why do you change color with your mood? I mean when you get angry you turn red."

Button sighed.

"My magic reflects my feelings and emotions. When I'm normal, I am blue. When I am angry, I am red. When I get worried or scared I turn yellow. Does that make sense? It only happens when my magic is active though, which will likely be most of the time when you see me."

Linkle nodded.

"Do you ever get tired or run out of magic?"

Button put her finger to her chin and starting humming in thought.

"Well, I guess if I flew non-stop for a few hours then I would, but I stop frequently to rest so it shouldn't ever be a problem."

Linkle nodded again.

"Well, that actually wasn't my real question, just a curiosity."

Button nodded.

"You have questions about the whole hero thing don't you?"

Linkle paused.

"Yeah, it's certainly first and foremost in my mind. Do you really think I am cut out to be the next hero? I mean, I'm the first hero to be a girl, and it's not like I have a ton of experience killing monsters."

Button laughed and Linkle noticed her wings turned green.

"You would be surprised at the other heroes before you Linkle! None of them had really any experience fighting monsters or saving people when they began. They all lacked experience, but then they went through the challenges. You see, every hero goes through challenges to prepare them for those crucial battles."

Linkle was a bit surprised to hear this.

"Really?" she asked.

Button smiled smugly.

"Of course! All of the temples and trials the previous heroes faced were in a sense training for them. They couldn't save the kingdom from evil if they weren't practiced! They weren't the hero they needed to be at the beginning, they became the hero they needed to be through it all. That's what you're going to do!"

Linkle smiled. She didn't have a good first impression about this fairy, but she liked her now. She was actually really kind and understanding. She knew a lot, and would probably find many ways to be helpful while they were journeying.

Linkle put her head back down and shut her eyes, and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

She woke up the next morning to see the fire had gone out a while ago. The sun was just rising and she sat up part way. She saw Button asleep on her lap so she didn't try to get all the way up yet. She smiled at Button. She was such an adorable little fairy.

Linkle tried stretching her arms one at a time to avoid waking Button up, but she saw the little fairy's eyes flutter open.

Button yawned and stretched while rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning Linkle, how did you sleep?"

Linkle smiled and the fairy flew into the air glowing blue once again.

"I slept great, thanks to you. I have been so worried over everything I didn't think I could."

Button started flying in a circle.

"Well rise and shine! We have a lot of ground to cover before we get to Death Mountain."

Linkle looked at her puzzled.

"Death Mountain? Isn't that the place that hikers are known to disappear?"

Button nodded, but Linkle couldn't see it through her light.

"That's the place! That's where the pendant of power is located, and since that's where the pendant is, that's where we need to go."

Linkle's stomach growled and Button turned green while laughing.

"We should probably get you some food first!"

Linkle looked at the fairy.

"Do fairies not need to eat?" She asked.

Button came closer to Linkle's face.

"No we don't really need food. We're made up of magic energy, which replenishes when we rest."

Linkle felt almost a little sorry for Button.

"Can you eat food if you want to?"

Button turned pink, but Linkle didn't know what that color meant.

"Um… Well, let's just say that we don't need food, but that also means we can't expel it."

Linkle was puzzled.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

Button stayed pink.

"It means we can't go to the bathroom."

Linkle stared for a while before it finally sunk in. Linkle tried not to laugh and this time was successful.

"Oh, I see! Yes, that would prove problematic wouldn't it?"

Button turned back to normal.

"Yes, but you still need to eat. Let's talk to our kokiri friends about breakfast."

After a decent meal to get her started, Linkle left the forest through the way she had come. The kokiri called that portion "The Lost Woods". Linkle decided the name was very appropriate given how difficult it was to navigate. She came to it and sighed.

"What's the matter?" Button asked.

Linkle looked at the lost woods with dread.

"I'm probably going to get lost in these woods again."

Button flew over to the entrance.

"Not a problem! I can use some of my magic to eliminate the shroud for a bit."

Button turned completely white and a bright light emitted from her. The darkness around the place went away to where Linkle could clearly see which way she needed to go.

"Wow that was wonderful! Thanks!"

Button turned green.

"You're welcome! Now let's get going to Death Mountain!"

Button flew back inside Linkle's hat. The two went through the lost woods which didn't take long at all now that Linkle knew where to go. When she came to the field again she saw a familiar face, one she wasn't super happy to see.

She saw the skull kid standing there admiring his new red rupee.

"Well well, it looks like you managed to remove the fun from my favorite part of the woods. I'd say that means you owe me some more rupees as compensation."

Linkle just rolled her eyes, but Button flew out from her hat.

"The magic won't last long skull kid," Button began, "why do you take such enjoyment from toying with other people so much?"

The skull kid shrugged.

"Because it's fun!" he concluded.

A black colored fairy came out from behind the skull kid. It seemed to notice Button.

"Hello Button, long time no see! So you have a partner now, what are you up to?"

Button turned pink.

"Dusk, I… um… well, we're going to death mountain to retrieve the pendant of power. We're going to save all of Hyrule."

The black fairy flickered in color.

"Wow that certainly is a noteworthy task!"

The black fairy hovered closer to the skull kid.

"Come on Pico, there's no need to cause trouble for these two. They are ladies after all, why don't you cut them some slack?"

The skull kid huffed.

"Fine, have it your way. You two are free to go thanks to my friend. Just don't spoil my fun again!"

The skull kid walked off, but the black fairy didn't follow at first.

"He's a good kid at heart." Dusk tried to reassure. "He just needs a little guidance."

Button flickered, but she was still pink.

"You don't have an easy task. I'm surprised the great Deku Tree asked you to be his partner. Isn't he a trouble maker?"

Dusk turned slightly gray.

"Well, a little, but the great Deku Tree wants me to help him reach his potential. He does kind things every now and then. He just needs a little nudge in the right direction. Still, you seem to have a bigger task before you Button. Please be safe alright?"

Button returned to normal color.

"Oh I will, Linkle will make sure I stay safe. I'll be back I promise!"

Dusk went back to black.

"Well, don't take too long okay? I'll miss you."

He flew away to catch up with the skull kid. Linkle couldn't help but notice button turned pink again.

Button noticed Linkle staring at her.

"What, what is it?" she asked.

Linkle just shrugged while smiling.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

Linkle walked for quite a while before stopping to take a break. She drank from her canteen and tried to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Man, I wish I had my horse right now." She commented to herself.

She heard Button's voice come from her hat, but it was muffled so she couldn't hear it.

"What?" She asked straining to hear better.

Button poked her head up from the hat crease and spoke again.

"You had a horse?" She asked.

Linkle nodded.

"Her name was Epona, my father wanted her named after the last hero's horse. Kind of ironic isn't it?"

Button was curious.

"Can you get her? She would save our traveling time by hours!"

Linkle shrugged.

"I used to call her with a special piece of grass. If I could find another one she would come if she heard it, but it would take some time likely. They grow near ponds."

The fairy filled her cheeks with air in annoyance.

"Sadly, there aren't any ponds on the way to Death Mountain. Perhaps later when we go to another location if we find one, you could call your horse?"

Linkle shrugged again.

"It would be nice to see her again. She would also save my feet the trouble."

Button flew out from Linkle's hat.

"Well, we better get going again. Death Mountain isn't too much farther. Thankfully we only have to go to the base of the mountain. That's where the sanctum is."

Linkle was glad to hear that. The boots she was wearing were still being broken in, so her feet ached a little bit, but she learned through years of training not to let that stop her.

She got up and starting walking to the mountain again. It took a couple of hours to get there, but it actually only felt like a few minutes. Button could talk quite a bit surprisingly, but Linkle didn't mind. It was nice to have the company.

Finally the two of them reached the base where they saw a large door with the symbol of the Triforce on it. Linkle was curious since she saw a shadowy figure kneeling next to the door. She walked over to him and tried tapping him on the shoulder.

"Um excuse me." She said.

The figure stood up and turned around. When Linkle saw his face her stomach churned.

"Hey there sweetheart, what's new?"

It was Rees, to which Linkle was very unhappy about. She thought she had finally gotten rid of him the other day, but now here he was again as cruel fate would have it. Fate must have loved to torment her.

"Rees, what are you doing here?" she asked with a bored quizzical look on her face.

Rees looked her up and down.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, but now I just have to ask, what exactly are you wearing?"

Linkle sighed.

"It's a long story." She simply put.

Rees continued to stare.

"Well, it certainly fits you nicely. You look less like a tomboy and more like a gorgeous archer!"

Linkle blushed, but she was getting angry.

"Well no one asked you what your opinion was! Can you just leave me alone and step aside so I can enter?"

Button flew out from Linkle's hat.

"Do you two know each other?" she asked.

Rees smiled smugly.

"Well, you could say we've had a few memorable experiences together. Was that your first kiss by the way?"

Linkle's face turned even redder.

"Look, I've had about enough of your annoying sense of humor! Can you just let us get by you already?!"

Rees held out his arms in defeat.

"Very well, I'll let you past. I'll be coming with you though."

Linkle look horrified.

"Why? Why on earth do you want to come with us?"

Rees looked over to the door.

"It's said that a special treasure is in here. I want to sell it to a high bidder later. You need the pendant inside right?"

Linkle was surprised.

"How did you…"

Rees shrugged.

"I can tell from your getup that you have been chosen as the next hero. The pointy hat is a dead giveaway. I'll let you have the pendant, if you let me have the treasure. Do we have a deal?"

Linkle was too flustered to respond. Button spoke up instead.

"Sounds good to us, we don't have any need for it."

Linkle looked at button absolutely shocked.

"Button, he can't be trusted!"

Rees looked hurt.

"Ouch, that's what I get after I helped you back into the castle? Come on, I think I deserve more credit for that."

Linkle just scowled at him.

"One good act can't redeem your other actions!"

Rees smiled.

"So it was you first kiss."

Linkle was fed up with him and just walked over to the door. Her hand started to glow so she pushed on the door with it and it opened.

"There, now you're on your own!"

Rees shrugged and went inside first.

"Fine, we can separate for now. Try not to miss me too much."

Linkle hated that boy. He always had to have the last word.

Button flew in front of Linkle's face. She turned green.

"You have feelings for him, don't you?"

Linkle shook her head.

"I hate his guts! How could you possibly think I have feelings for a scoundrel like that?!"

Button laughed.

"You do, I can tell!"

Linkle decided to do the same thing to Button.

"Much like how you have feelings for Dusk?" she questioned.

Button turned pink.

"You could tell?"

Linkle nodded.

"It was obvious." She stated defiantly.

Button turned green again.

"Well the difference between you and me is I am will to admit it."

Button went back inside Linkle's hat giggling.

Linkle just sighed and walked through the door.


	6. Chapter 6

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series.

Chapter 6: The Hero Challenges

Linkle was staring in awe as she witnessed the sight before her. There was lava everywhere surrounding the walkways. She felt a little uneasy as to what might happen if she slipped and there didn't appear to be any railings to prevent that from happening. She saw three doors ahead of her, one on each side of the room. The room she was in was huge with a large platform in the center. Lava surrounded everything of course, which caused Linkle to start sweating from the heat. She hated to sweat.

Button flew out from Linkle's hat and appeared to be assessing the situation.

"It looks like two of the doors are locked. There's only one option for now."

Linkle noticed that one door had a small lock on it, while the one directly in front of her had a very large lock on it. Linkle was curious about the difference in sizes.

"So, is there a large key to that door?"

Button hovered in front of Linkle's face, which startled her slightly.

"Yes, and behind that door is where you'll find the pendant, but that will be our last stop."

Linkle was confused.

"If it's where the pendant is, why don't we go there first?"

Button sighed.

"Because we need the key first, and the only way to do that is to go through the challenges."

Linkle heard Button say that before.

"What sort of challenges are these? Are they challenges of combat?"

Button flickered.

"They are challenges of various types. Sometimes you'll have to fight, but other times you'll have to use cunning, tactics, and intellect to make your way through here."

Linkle appeared to understand. Whatever were behind those doors she was ready to meet them. She wondered where Rees had gone off to, but seeing as there was only one door that was unlocked, she assumed it was through there. She sighed at the thought of having to bump into him again.

She walked to her right and noticed there wasn't any door knob!

"How am I supposed to open this?" Linkle asked.

Button flew over to see.

"You'll need to push it upward. Door knobs would rust and wither after so long. This ensures that the temples will be able to be used until the doors themselves turn to dust."

Linkle wondered at that statement.

"And how old are these doors?"

Button flickered again, which Linkle decided was her way of doing a shrug.

"A few centuries I think. They're made out of material that doesn't decay so much."

Linkle walked up to the door and tried to push it open. When she did so, the door dropped dust as it slowly slid upward. A small corner of it hit the ground in front of Linkle.

"A material that doesn't decay much huh?" Linkle quoted somewhat sarcastically.

Button ignored her comment and went back inside Linkle's hat.

Linkle walked inside to see a smaller room which had no lava in it. It was all rock and the temperature felt cooler in here. She noticed the room was lit with torches, and she could see a couple of lizards walking around.

Button came out with a yellow color.

"Linkle, watch out! Those are Lizalfos! They always work in pairs. When you injure one, its brother takes its place in the fight. Keep your guard up, and when they come in to strike, hit them first!"

Linkle had her sword and shield ready. The first one noticed her and started hopping in her direction. They could jump amazingly high for creatures that looked so heavy! When it finally reached her it let out a number of quick slashes. Linkle kept her guard up until it took a moment to make a more powerful attack. Linkle took the opportunity to stab it with her sword.

The creature yelped in pain and jumped back, this time stumbling a bit. The other one came hopping over fresh and ready for the fight. It followed the same exact attack pattern. Linkle's father had always taught her to observe for attack patterns against her opponents. If she could learn them, she could manipulate the fight how she wanted.

It let out the same quick slashes and finally stopped to make a stronger attack. Linkle tried to lunge with her sword, but she mistimed it. The creature made a strong downward stroke which Linkle had to tuck and roll to get out of the way. Afterward the creature started hopping after her again.

She didn't like these things. They were fast, strong, and agile. It also seemed to take more than one good blow to finish them off. She would have to use patience to win this fight.

She waited for the creature to make the same attack patterns, but this time she timed it right. She lunged with her sword again and stabbed the creature in the gut. It shrieked in pain and let its brother come back.

It hobbled over with its jumps a little less graceful than before. This time the attack pattern changed slightly. It would make three quick strokes and then attempt its strong one. Linkle recognized the change and used it to her advantage. This only meant she could kill it quicker. After it paused she slashed its throat causing it to suffocate and fall to the ground.

The other one appeared to be angry and rushed forward with quite a few quick strokes. Linkle realized that these creatures would adapt their attack patterns with every successful hit she landed on them, which meant she had to stay on her toes.

After it finally paused from what seemed like forever, Linkle made two quick stabs at the beast and its eyes went dark as it fell to the ground. After both were defeated they both turned into black smoke. Linkle noticed a door on the other side that originally had bars on it, but the bars went into the ground after she defeated them.

"What was that? Why did they turn into smoke?"

Button flew towards Linkle.

"Like I said, these are challenges. Once you've defeated them their magic reorganizes them for the next time."

Linkle was horrified to hear that.

"You mean they will come back? How long?!"

Button flickered.

"Could be one year, could be ten minutes. The point is they're gone for now. We should proceed through the rest of the temple."

Linkle was getting frustrated. How do you fight something that can't die? She tried to shake it off and continue. She was beginning to hate the idea of these challenges. She walked up to the door and pushed it open like before. The same thing happened where it slid up, except this time it didn't lose a corner.

She walked through to see a long room with lava underneath. It had a chasm and on the other side was the door she needed to go through. Linkle looked around, but couldn't really see any way to cross.

"What am I supposed to do here? I'm not supposed to try to jump am I?"

Button flew over to a sphere made out of glass and started flying circles around it.

"Of course not, you need to hit this switch, but when you do you'll need to be quick. It only lasts a little while!"

Linkle wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but she shrugged and slashed the glass orb with her sword. The glass object turned yellow and a bridge rose up from the lava. Linkle wondered how it could be under there without melting. Perhaps it was magic?

Button turned yellow herself.

"Quick, before the bridge goes back down!"

Linkle gasped as she tried to run across the bridge as fast as she could! She could hear this faint sound of almost a clock ticking, which was ticking faster and faster and she ran across. The increasing speed of the sound was making Linkle nervous and almost regret the attempt.

She heard the timer give out and the bridge started to go back down. In a desperate attempt to survive, Linkle leapt for the edge where she managed to grab a hold of the cliff's side. She was panting and extremely rattled from how close she came to becoming a crispy hero. She pulled herself up and sat on the ground while holding her face in her hands.

She started to sob.

"How am I supposed to do this Button? I'm not cut out to be a hero! Sure, I know how to fight, but I'm not good with solving problems. I'm not that kind, I'm not great at figuring things out, and I'm not even that courageous! I always wanted to be what my father wanted me to be. He wanted me to be just like the last hero of Hyrule, but I'm not! I'm no hero, I'm just a girl who cries and can't even retrieve one little pendant without nearly being killed at the beginning."

She continued to sob for a bit before Button spoke up. Button knew that this all was hard on Linkle. She had to leave behind her father in the fight at the castle, which must have not been easy. She also had the whole hero responsibility shoved onto her without really any notice, and now she realized how difficult the trials actually were.

Button wanted to comfort Linkle.

"Look Linkle, I know this isn't easy, but it wasn't easy for any of the others either. The thing is every single one was different and individual in their own way. Some were more agile, while some were more intelligent. Some were unnaturally lucky, and one couldn't even swim. You aren't the hero yet, but you are becoming one. You don't have to be just like the last hero, you just have to be you. If you do that, you'll be the hero Hyrule needs the most right now. After all, you're the first hero that was a woman. I think there's no mistake in that. It's exactly what Hyrule needed this time."

Linkle calmed down a bit and wiped the tears from her face. She slowly got up from the ground and looked at the door in front of her.

"I guess you're right, I might be able to do this after all. I just need to have a little more courage."

She walked up to the door, but paused before opening it.

"Hey Button, thanks for the talk. I'm really glad you're here to help me."

Button glowed green.

"Of course, I'm here to help in any way I can Linkle! And I think that you should start giving yourself some more credit! You've done amazing so far, I mean some heroes already needed healing magic by now!"

Linkle was curious.

"Healing magic?" She repeated.

Button flickered.

"It's something fairies can do, but only certain ones. I unfortunately am only a guide fairy. If we ever find others that have the talent I'll let you know!"

Linkle smiled. This little fairy really did know her stuff.

Button spoke up again.

"Oh, and it looks like I won't be the only one who will help you here! Your friend is also here!"

Linkle was puzzled at that statement, but she heard the door she was about to go in close. She looked up to see Rees standing there.

"Hey there sweetheart, I've got a proposition for you."


	7. Chapter 7

The Legend of Zelda: The Shadow Key

Note: (You don't actually have to read this, it's mostly informative): I do not own any of the Characters in the Legend of Zelda, nor do I own anything under Nintendo or any other gaming company. This is also not based off of any of the games, but makes hints to Hyrule's history every now and again. Most of the characters are new, and only a few dungeons are from the original series. I do use familiar characters like Zelda and the female version of Link, but the rest are based on future generations and what would happen if these famous individuals had descendants. I am welcoming to any advice or suggestions you would like to see in this series.

Announcement!: Thank you for all who have supported me and read my fanfiction so far. It's inspired me, and now I'm actually almost done with my own original book! It will not be about Zelda though, it's an original story. Sadly, I will be going out of town for a few weeks and will not have time to write more for a bit, but as soon as I get back I will continue to post my fanfiction chapters as normal. Thank you everyone and I will miss you until I return!

Chapter 7: The Mountain Treasure

Linkle was trying to catch her breath. Rees had given her the key she needed to get through the small locked door in the first room, but he neglected to mention what was behind it! She had to fend off a larger lizard creature, and this one breathed fire! She found that its weak spot was on its tail and managed to kill it, but it certainly wasn't an easy task. She didn't think it was a dragon, it didn't have any wings.

After she got through not just one, but two of those monsters, she had to weave her way through a series of tunnels that seemed like a maze. She then had to fight off some bat-like things that Button called "Keese". Some of them were even on fire! What kind of animal lets itself catch on fire?! She felt like her tunic got singed a little, and it still smelled of smoke.

Linkle would be grateful for when she could finally take a bath and get cleaned up. She hated this place. Everything was a maze and full of traps and puzzles. She wasn't even good at solving puzzles, if it wasn't for Button, she would never make it through this place.

She finally caught her breath and looked at the door in front of her. She had gone through a lot to get here, but she wasn't sure if this was the one either. Rees told her that there was a guardian that protected a treasure she needed. He wanted her to make her way there, and fight him. He assured her that he would help, but Linkle wasn't convinced. She felt like Rees only cared about himself.

She pushed on the door and it rose up slowly like the others. She entered a smaller room which had just a few statues against the far wall. She had encounters with other statues before at the Hero's Cave that weren't what they had originally appeared to be. She was cautious to approach them.

She wanted to make it to the next room, but it appeared that the door was blocked by the three statues. Linkle guessed that there was no way through except to fight them. She sighed and got in a good stance for combat.

She approached slowly and when she got close, one of the statues opened a single eye in the middle of its head. It glowed red and shot a laser at her, which she had to jump out of the way from! She rolled to get away and apparently went out of range as its eye closed again.

"What was that thing? It's different from the ones in the Hero's Cave!"

Button flew out from Linkle's hat and hovered in front of her face.

"It's a Beamos, they have an eye that shoots beams of energy at approaching intruders. Don't get too close, but try throwing something that will have an explosive effect."

Linkle scratched her head wondering how she could get something with an "explosive effect". She didn't have any sort of bomb with her, and she was pretty sure that her hat didn't magically explode either. What could she use? It seemed she was out of options here!

Button flew nearby by to a plant on the ground.

"Hey Linkle, look at this!"

Linkle looked over to see a plant that looked an awful lot like a bomb.

"Um, is that a bomb growing out of the ground?" She questioned.

Button hovered around it and turned green.

"Yes it is! They only grow here on Death Mountain. You can use it to destroy the Beamos!"

Linkle had to laugh a little.

"So bombs don't grow on trees?" She asked jokingly.

Button went back to her normal color.

"Of course they don't, why are you asking?"

Linkle just shook her head. It was obvious that Button didn't get the joke.

"Nothing never mind. So all I have to do is pick that and throw it at the Beamos?"

Button flew back into Linkle's hat.

"That's right, just pick it and throw it. Do be careful though, you'll have to get within the Beamos' range in order to hit it! You'll need to time it right."

Linkle just sighed.

"Great and I was hoping this one would be easy."

Linkle walked over to the bomb plant and plucked it. It started to blink in color for some reason from black to red over and over again. It appeared to be going faster and faster too. She inched her way over when Button shouted at her.

"Linkle, watch out! Throw the bomb before it explodes in your hands!"

Linkle shrieked as she threw the bomb plant across the way. It exploded just before it hit the ground.

"You could have told me that they had a time limit to them!"

Button just chuckled inside her hat.

"Sorry, I thought you knew. It's okay, there are still five more in the room to use."

Linkle took in a deep breath before trying again. She didn't like the idea of having to pick up something in her hands that would explode on her. She walked over to another nearby plant and plucked it off from the ground. It started to blink just like the other one this time she ran at the Beamos and when she got closer, she hurled the plant at it.

The Beamos tried to take a shot at her, but she managed to avoid it again when the bomb landed closer to another Beamos nearby. The bomb exploded and blew apart that one instead of the one in front of the door.

Linkle stood there annoyed that she missed, but she tried to shrug it off. She wanted all three Beamos gone before she tried to go through the door anyway. She walked over to another plant and reapeated the same process. This time she hit her mark and the Beamos that kept trying to kill her turned into a pile of rubble.

Linkle was pleased with herself, but knew that she had one more statue to deal with. Like before she plucked the bomb plant and tossed it at the one remaining Beamos, but this one landed further away and exploded leaving the current one unharmed. She had to dodge a couple of its beams before she got out of range. Since there were no other Beamos left, she didn't take any more down. She looked over to see only two of the bomb plants left.

"I only have two more chances to get this right." She said a bit discouraged.

Button flew out in front of her.

"Don't worry Linkle, just relax. Take a deep breath, you can do this."

Linkle took in a deep breath. She walked over to one of the last two plants and plucked it from the ground. She stepped over and hurled it at the last Beamos. She tucked and rolled out of the way of two beams and watched as the plant finally destroyed the last enemy.

She was glad that it was finally done. She walked over to the door, but Button flew out in front of her again.

"Wait Linkle! This door has a special symbol on it. This is the door to the guardian! He protects the treasure for the hero which you'll need to fight the power pendant's guardian in the last room! Be careful, as he is supposed to be strong, so that no one besides the hero can defeat him!"

Linkle just stared at the door. Nothing was ever easy was it? It was always challenge here, and challenge there. She hated these challenges. Still, she had learned a lot from what she had already gone through. She felt more confident and ready to press forward.

She pushed on the door and it rose. She walked through into a room that had a single platform in the center with lava surrounding it. There was a walkway which went to the platform and another one on the opposite side which went to another door. Linkle stepped onto the walkway and moved forward.

She had her sword and shield ready for whatever would come. When she reached the center of the platform she saw both walkways retract into the center mass. Her way was now cut off! She heard a deep laughter come from above.

"So it seems I finally have a new challenger! Let us see if you can face the great Grudoch!"

A goron fell from the ceiling and landed in front of Linkle, which startled her. He was wearing full battle armor and had a large war hammer in his hands. He started to inch closer to her and had his weapon ready.

Linkle was unsure of what to do. She charged forward and slashed at him a couple of times, but his armor just deflected every blow of hers. Even when she got it in the cracks, his rock skin made him invulnerable to her sword!

She was backing up closer and closer to the edge. If she didn't do something soon, she would be burned alive. How was this supposed to be a challenge for the hero? Was it their goal to kill every hero that rose up? It didn't seem like a much insured idea.

Suddenly Linkle heard a voice from above.

"Hey sweetheart, get closer to the edge!"

She looked up to see Rees sitting on a cliff side watching the whole thing.

"Rees, what are you trying to do, get me killed?!"

Rees just shook his head.

"I'm trying to save you actually. I can't fight that thing from here, but I can at least tell you how to win. When it makes its charge, simply make sure he doesn't hit you!"

Linkle rolled her eyes. Certainly she already didn't want to get hit with his charge. Why would Rees state the obvious?

The goron suddenly rolled into a ball and charged at her. Linkle at the last minute tucked and rolled out of the way. The goron fell into the lava pit, which Linkle sighed in relief. So that's what Rees meant, let him fall in.

The goron surprisingly came back out of the lava glowing fiery red.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

He finally started to cool off and started walking towards Linkle again. How was she supposed to fight something that could survive lava?! What could she do?

Rees spoke up from above.

"Don't think, just repeat!"

Linkle was puzzled, but Button spoke up from her hat as well.

"He's right Linkle! Even if he survived, the lava still hurt him. Do the same thing until he's finished!"

Linkle thought it was a strange strategy, but it was the only one she had. She braced herself near the edge waiting for the goron to charge again. Sure enough it rolled towards her again and she moved out of the way in time.

The warrior came out of the lava burning again screaming in pain. It finally shook it off, but spoke to her.

"Nice going hero, but I won't fall for that one again."

Linkle shouted to Rees.

"Okay, now what do I do?" She asked.

Rees thought for a moment, all the while the goron was getting closer and closer to Linkle.

"Try going on the offensive. Perhaps you could cause a repeat of the incidents, but in a different way?"

Linkle wasn't sure what that meant, but went with it. She yelled as she charged forward. The goron defended itself, but when she bashed it with her shield, it back up slightly.

That was it! She now knew what to do. She brought him closer and closer to the edge and when he was close enough, she shoved him with all of her strength. The armor made him slightly off balance and fell into the lava pit again.

The goron came back up burning and screaming, but after he was done, he put away his war hammer. He acted differently now.

The goron made a slight bow to her.

"I welcome the new hero. It is my honor to be defeated by you!"

Linkle just looked at him confused. Why was he acting so different now? Rees saw his chance and left the room through the door he came through. The goron rose from his bow and jumped up and down on the platform until a treasure chest landed in front of him.

"I apologize for my behavior earlier. I am bound by honor to test all adventurers who come here. If they can defeat me, then I know that they are the next hero. I was a bit surprised to find that you were a lady!"

Linkle smiled at him tiredly.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

The goron nodded and pointed to the chest.

"In here is something you'll need to show your strength to Crusher, the mightiest goron of all. He is the guardian over the pendant of power. In order to defeat him, you'll need this."

She opened the chest to find a bow and some arrows. She strapped the quiver onto her belt on the side. It had a special mechanism that closed around the top to prevent arrows from falling out while she fought.

"Thank you Grudoch, I was glad to fight you. You are a true warrior!"

Grudoch smiled.

"The lady is kind as well! You'll make for a fine hero! As gratitude, I want you to also take my hammer!"

He held it out, but Rees showed up and grabbed it.

"I'll take that one. If it wasn't for me, you couldn't have beaten him, now could you?"

Grudoch looked angry, but looked over to Linkle. Linkle waved her hand to gesture to let Rees have it. Grudgingly he let go.

"I'll let you have it only because the hero says so. Otherwise I would crush you boy."

Rees just laughed and pulled out his black sword.

"I think I would be able to defeat you easily big guy."

The goron gasped when he saw the weapon.

"Y-You, you have the shadow key?!"

Both Rees and Linkle looked at each other and almost asked in unison.

"What is the shadow key?"


End file.
